Kanonenjagdpanzer
The Kanonenjagdpanzer (KanJPz; also known as Jagdpanzer Kanone 90mm, "tank destroyer, gun 90mm") was a German Cold War tank destroyer equipped with a 90mm anti-tank gun taken from obsolete M47 Patton tanks. Its design was very similar to that of the World War II Jagdpanzer IV.
| Kanonenjagdpanzer | |
|---|---|
_-_Jagdpanzer_Kanone_90_mm.jpg.webp) A Kanonenjagdpanzer in 1968 | |
| Type | Tank destroyer |
| Place of origin | West Germany |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1965–1990 |
| Used by | West Germany Belgium |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Henschel and Hanomag |
| Designed | 1960 |
| Manufacturer | Henschel and Hanomag |
| Produced | 1965–1967 |
| No. built | 770 |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 27.5 t (27.1 long tons; 30.3 short tons) |
| Length | Total: 8.75 m (28 ft 8 in) Hull: 6.24 m (20 ft 6 in) |
| Width | 2.98 m (9 ft 9 in) |
| Height | 2.09 m (6 ft 10 in) |
| Crew | 4 (commander, gunner, loader, driver) |
| Armor | 10–50 mm (0.39–1.97 in) |
Main armament | 1 × Rheinmetall BK 90/L40 90mm anti-tank gun 51 rounds |
Secondary armament | 2 × 7.62mm MG3 machine guns 4,000 rounds 8 smoke dischargers 2 × 71mm Lyran mortars (Belgium only) |
| Engine | 29.4 L MTU MB 837 Aa V8 water-cooled multi-fuel diesel engine 500 hp (368 kW) |
| Suspension | torsion bar |
Operational range | 385 km (239 mi) |
| Maximum speed | 70 km/h (43.5 mph) |
History
The first prototypes of the Kanonenjagdpanzer were built in 1960 by Hanomag and Henschel for West Germany and by MOWAG for Switzerland. Between 1966 and 1967, 770 units were built for the Bundeswehr, 385 by Hanomag and 385 by Henschel. Eighty of them were delivered to Belgium from April 1975 onward.[1]
When the Soviets began deploying their T-64 and T-72 main battle tanks, the 90 mm gun was not capable of engaging them in long-range combat and the Kanonenjagdpanzer became obsolete. Although the producers claimed it could be rearmed with a 105 mm gun,[1] between 1983 and 1985, 163 of these tank destroyers were converted into Raketenjagdpanzer Jaguar 2 anti-tank guided missile carriers by removing the gun, adding a roof-mounted TOW missile launcher and fastening further spaced and perforated armour on the hull. Some others were refitted into artillery observation vehicles by removing the main gun, so called Beobachtungspanzer, which served most particularly in the mortar units.
Some Kanonenjagdpanzer remained in service with the Heimatschutztruppe until 1990.
Design
The Kanonenjagdpanzer was a highly mobile vehicle, its survivability based on its mobility and its low profile.[1] Its hull consisted of welded steel with a maximum thickness of 50 mm. It carried a crew of four: commander, driver, gunner and loader. Since the Kanonenjagdpanzer followed the casemate design of most World War II tank destroyers, the gun was fixed within the casemate, located a little right from the center. The 90 mm gun could only traverse 15° to the sides and elevate from −8° to +15°. It carried 51 90 mm rounds for the main gun and 4,000 7.62 mm rounds for the two MG3s.[1] The Kanonenjagdpanzer had NBC protection and night-fighting ability.[1]
Operators
West Germany – The German Army operated a total of 770 Kanonenjagdpanzer.svg.png.webp)
Belgium – The Belgian Army operated 80 slightly modified Kanonenjagdpanzer from 1975 onwards
References
- Foss, Christopher F., Panzer und andere Kampffahrzeuge von 1916 bis heute (in German), Buch und Zeit Verlagsgesellschaft, p. 134
